Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for Funding Commencing in 2014 - Instructions

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2014 - Instructions to Applicants

Discovery

Early Career Researcher Award

Instructions to Applicants

for funding commencing in

2014

Table of Contents

1. Matters to note before completing the Proposal form 3

1.1 Accuracy of Information 3

1.3 The process – items to note: 4

1.4 Format 4

1.5 Proposal Certification 4

2. Getting started in RMS 5

2.1 RMS User ID and Password 5

2.2 Further Assistance 6

3. Updating Participant Details 7

4. Creating a new Proposal in RMS 7

5. Adding the DECRA Candidate and the Administering Organisation 8

5.1 Participant 8

5.2 Non-Participants with Access to This Proposal 9

5.3 Organisation Participant 10

5.4 Certification 11

6. Completing the Proposal form 12

Part A - Administrative Summary 12

Part B - Classification and Other Statistical Information 14

Part C – Research Opportunity and Performance Evidence (ROPE) 16

Part D - Project Description 17

Part E – Project Cost 18

Part F - Budget Justification 22

Part G - Personnel 23

Part H - Research Support 27

Part I - Statements on Progress of ARC Funded Projects 29

Part J - Additional Details 30

7. Submitting a Proposal to the Research Office 31

8. Additional points to assist Applicants to avoid common submission errors 32

9. Troubleshooting – RMS 33

Australian Research Council

Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

Instructions to Applicants

for funding commencing in 2014

The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Instructions to Applicants for funding commencing in 2014 provides information to Applicants on how to complete and electronically submit Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Proposals for funding commencing in 2014. The completed Proposal form, including the PDF attachments, must comply with the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2014 (hereafter referred to as the Funding Rules).

The information in this document is underpinned by the Funding Rules. Please review the Funding Rules (available on the ARC website at www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/decra/fundingrules.htm) before preparing the Proposal.

Please also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which will be updated regularly and are available on the ARC website at www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/decra/instructions.htm.

1. Matters to note before completing the Proposal form

Proposals are the prime source of information available to ARC assessors and must be submitted as mature research plans ready for implementation. The Proposal must contain all the information necessary for assessment of the Project without the need for further written or oral explanation, or reference to additional documentation, including the Internet. All details in the Proposal must be current at the time of submission.

1.1 Accuracy of Information

Check carefully that all the information contained in the Proposal is accurate before submission of the Proposal.

1.2 Key Dates - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2014

Please refer to the Important Dates page on the ARC website for key dates and updates relevant to the Funding Rules www.arc.gov.au/media/important_dates.htm including the deadline for submission of a ‘Request not to Assess’ form and the Proposal submission deadline.

1.3 The process – items to note:

The Proposal must be created using the ARC’s online Research Management System (hereafter referred to as the RMS) accessed at rms.arc.gov.au.

The Proposal must be electronically submitted through the RMS by the Administering Organisation. The Administering Organisation's Research Office or equivalent must electronically certify the Proposal submission in accordance with Section 8.4 of the Funding Rules. Note that Proposals must not be submitted to the ARC in paper form.

1.4 Format

Write in plain English and comply strictly with the Proposal format and submission requirements.

All pages of additional text (uploaded in PDF form) must be as follows:

· Black type.

· Single column.

· White A4 paper size with at least 0.5 cm margin on each side and at top and bottom.

· Text must be size 12 point Times New Roman or an equivalent size before converting to PDF format and must be legible to assessors. Otherwise, a highly legible font type must be used: Arial, Courier, Palatino, and Helvetica subject to them being an equivalent sized font to 12 point Times New Roman. Variants such as mathematical typesetting languages may also be used.

· Only references can be in 10 point Times New Roman font or equivalent.

· Adhere strictly to page limits designated for each part of the Proposal.

· Applicants should note colour graphs, colour photographs, detailed graphics and grey scale objects may be reproduced in black and white.

· Additional text uploaded as PDF may appear slightly reduced in size due to the RMS formatting the attachments to include page numbers. Additional text uploaded in PDF form should be directly generated rather than scanned to maximise the quality of reproduction.

· The ARC reserves the right to seek an original electronic copy of the Proposal to determine that the text meets these requirements.

Note: Information such as citations or public recognition may be considered for inclusion in relevant sections if suitable.

1.5 Proposal Certification

· The Proposal must be certified and submitted online through RMS by an authorised officer of the Administering Organisation. Note: The authorised officer must have the role of ‘Research Office Delegate’ in RMS.

· Only the Administering Organisation certifies and submits online.

· The Administering Organisation must obtain the agreement, attested to by written evidence, of all the relevant persons and organisations named on the Proposal. Written evidences should be retained by the Administering Organisation and must be provided to the ARC if requested.

· The ARC has provided a proforma for obtaining written evidence at www.arc.gov.au/ncgp/de/de_certification.htm. However, the use of the ARC proforma is not mandatory. The Administering Organisation may determine its own required format for written evidence.

2. Getting started in RMS

The Proposal is prepared and submitted through the RMS. RMS access is available through the ARC website at: rms.arc.gov.au/RMSExternal/pages/main.jsf.

2.1 RMS User ID and Password

To access and/or amend Proposal information, the DECRA Candidate, and support staff involved in the preparation of a Proposal require an RMS User ID and a password.

· The RMS User ID and password must be applied for online via the RMS Home Page or by contacting an Eligible Organisation’s Research Office or equivalent.

· Participants must have a valid email address in order to reset their own password. If unsure, please contact your Research Office or equivalent.

· If you are unsure of your User ID, it can be retrieved through RMS Login screen detailed below and by using the ‘Retrieve User Name’ hyperlink. This will only work if your email address in RMS is current.

· Participants who have had a previous ARC Grant Application Management System (GAMS) user account prior to January 2009 will have automatically had an RMS account created for them. Participants will be required to reset their password by clicking on the ‘Reset Password’ link and enter their GAMS Username with all letters capitalised in the RMS Username field.

· Previously allocated RMS User IDs will remain valid. Researchers do not have to apply for a new RMS User ID each year, nor do individuals with assessor-only logins.

· Participants should contact their own organisation’s Research Office for assistance with RMS. Research Offices are routinely advised by the ARC of current ARC online application system matters and will often have knowledge of RMS compatibility with their organisation’s systems so can more effectively advise researchers when concerns arise.

· Participants who are not currently academic staff members of Eligible Organisations should seek their RMS User ID and password from the nominated Eligible Administering Organisation named on the Proposal. Alternatively, Participants may request an account through the RMS Login Page (Request New Account link). Instructions to assist researchers in the process are available using the ‘Help’ link on the ‘Request New Account’ page.

· Once logged into RMS, it is important for all participants who are named on a Proposal to fully complete/update their own ‘My Details’ section before proceeding to ‘Proposals’. This information is used to pre-populate various Parts of the Proposal form.

It is recommended that intended Proposal Participants obtain an RMS User ID as soon as possible to prevent potential delays due to an anticipated increase in RMS User ID requests close to the due date for Proposals.

Note: Only the Proposal owner can submit the Proposal and rejoinder to the Administering Organisation’s Research Office. Only the Research Office is able to submit the Application and the rejoinder to the ARC.

2.2 Further Assistance

Participants should contact the Administering Organisation’s Research Office or equivalent in the first instance for assistance with RMS or click on the Help link (located on the top left corner of the RMS screen). If you still require assistance the ARC has the following help desk options:

· Send an email to outlining your problem and providing your RMS details.

· Telephone the RMS Support team on +61 2 6287 6789.

Note: the RMS Support team is staffed from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. For after-hours queries please send an email to and the ARC will respond to your email as soon as possible.

Note: RMS is compatible with Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, or Firefox 3.0 or later. The ARC recommends Firefox 3.6. RMS requires Adobe Flash Player V10 or later to be installed. You will be prompted to install Adobe Flash Player if needed, however you may wish to download the file from the following link: get.adobe.com/flashplayer/. Further RMS information is available on the ARC website: www.arc.gov.au/applicants/rms_info.htm#tips.

3. Updating Participant Details

Participants with an existing account in the RMS should check that their personal information is up to date. New Participants should enter their personal information. This can be done by clicking on the links under the ‘My Details’ heading of the RMS Home Page and completing all areas within the ‘Personal Details’, ‘Classification Details’ and ‘Contact Details’ links. Completing this information will allow parts of the Proposal form to be auto-populated.

4. Creating a new Proposal in RMS

· A new draft Proposal is created from the Applicant’s RMS Home Page under ‘Proposals’, as shown in the screen shot below.

· Applicants must have the role ‘Participant’ in their RMS user account profile in order to create a Proposal. If an applicant does not have the role ‘Participant’, the applicant must contact the Research Office or equivalent to add this role. A new draft Proposal can then be created. (Participants can check their RMS role by logging into RMS and selecting My Details>RMS User Account Details>User Roles).

· Once in RMS, click on the ‘Create Draft Proposal’ and select the appropriate scheme and round. For Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for funding commencing in 2014, please select ‘DE14 Round 1’.

· Enter a Proposal name and click on ‘Create Proposal’. Please note that the Proposal name is the Applicant’s personal identifier and is not the Proposal title. This Proposal name cannot be edited once the Proposal is generated.

· Once a Draft Proposal has been created, a Proposal ID will be automatically allocated by RMS, and the ‘Draft Proposal Summary’ page will appear. Person and Organisation participants are added to the Proposal from this screen.

· The Proposal form is a series of components accessed via the ‘Draft Proposal Summary’ page. It is not a single form updated and saved in one session.

Save regularly

Please ensure that the Proposal is saved regularly. Do not navigate away from any form Part without saving. RMS will automatically time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. A warning message will appear after 15 minutes of inactivity.

· Proposal forms should be completed sequentially where possible to assist with the pre-population of subsequent sections (Part A, Part B, etc.). However, Part E - Project Cost can be filled out last.

· To return to your Draft Proposal at a later date, click on the ‘Draft Proposals’ link via your RMS Home Page.

5. Adding the DECRA Candidate and the Administering Organisation

5.1 Participant

Note: Only one DECRA Candidate may be added as a Participant on a single Proposal. Non-Participants (those who are not named on the Proposal) are not entered here - please refer to section 5.2 to add Non-Participants.

Initially there will be no Participants listed on the Proposal.

If the Proposal owner is the DECRA Candidate, they can add themselves to the Proposal by clicking on the ‘Add Person Participant’ link and then clicking on the ‘Populate Person ID and Family Name with my details’. Personal ID’, ‘Family Name’, and ‘Participation Type’ will be auto generated. Select the Participation Type from the drop down menu (there is only one option) and click ‘Add Participant’. This will add the Proposal Owner to the Proposal.

If the Proposal Owner is not the DECRA Candidate, the DECRA Candidate must be added as a Person Participant on the ‘Draft Proposal Summary’ page.

Add the DECRA Candidate as follows:

· Click on ‘Add Person Participant’ on the ‘Draft Proposal Summary’ page.

· Once the ‘Add Proposal Person Participant’ pop-up box appears, enter the Participant’s RMS Person ID, Family Name and select ‘Participation Type’. Click ‘Add Participant’.

· Note: Successfully inviting a person to participate requires their RMS Person ID (this is not their RMS User ID) and their family name. Please obtain this directly from the Participant who will be able to find their Person ID in their own personal details in RMS – see the screenshot below. Your Research Office or equivalent can search for the RMS Person ID for an individual at your organisation.

Note: If a person does not have an RMS Account please refer to Section 2 for instructions on requesting an account.

· The table of Participants on the ‘Draft Proposal Summary’ page displays the status of the Participant as in the screenshot below.

· When a Participant has been successfully invited, they will receive an automated invitation email containing the Proposal details and directing them to accept or reject the invitation via RMS. The invited Participant should log in to RMS and select ‘Participation Requests’ from their RMS Home Page. They can then choose to accept or reject the invitation.

· Note: A Participant must accept the invitation in order to be listed as a Participant in the Proposal’s Administrative Summary. Once they have accepted the invitation, their Participation Status will change from ‘Requested’ to ‘Accepted’ in the Participant’s table on the ‘Draft Proposal Summary’ page.

5.2 Non-Participants with Access to This Proposal

This section is used to add individuals who require access to the Proposal, but who will not be a named Participant for this Proposal.